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The TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Porsche 
Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning leads the field of NASA Texas GTS3 competitors at Texas World Speedway - August 1-2, 2009. Took home Four 1st place finishes and Set lap time record for German Touring Series 3.
College Station, TX August 3, 2009
Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning continued their winning streak at Texas World Speedway (TWS) by placing first in all four races and turned amazing lap times at the same time. With each race, the 2002 Porsche 996’s performance improved and eventually Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning turned an impressive record time of 1:49.263 and then 1:49.696 in race 4.
August at Texas World Speedway is traditionally a very hot month. This event was no different. During Friday practice, with temperatures reaching the century mark, Matus beat his August 2008 GTS 3 record lap record time of 1:53.568. “I am thrilled that I eclipsed my previous track record,” said Matus as he reviewed the time sheets.
Saturday, the mercury read 105oF with on track temperatures reaching 130oF. The extreme heat tested each driver and everyone had to practice caution to avoid heat exhaustion. Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning worked through the heat and turned a record time of 1:51.219 during the Saturday morning qualification. The team was ecstatic that the car went even faster than during Friday practice.
Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning was now ready for race 1. The heat taxed all racers and drivers. Even with the weather challenges, the team finished under the previous year’s lap record with a 1:52.350 for race 1 and a 1:53.542 for race 2. The heat was taking its toll on the car and Matus. Satisfied with Saturday’s results, the team moved to cooler quarters for the evening.
Temperatures on Sunday were considerably cooler than Saturday, but still lingered in the mid to high 90’s. When Matus got on track for the Sunday morning qualification, he felt a loss of performance with the car. He believed the tires had too many heat cycles on them. When Matus drove into the garage and reviewed the times with Viking Sjovall, of Viking Motorsports, they realized why he felt the car was slipping: he turned a lap time of 1:50.444. The 1:50.444 is the record qualification lap time for any GTS 3 car in the history of Texas World Speedway.
The team finished with a 1:52.090 for race 3, capturing their third win of the weekend. As the event was starting to draw to a close, the team was extremely pleased with the performance of the car. With one more race to go for the weekend, and the last race before the NASA National Championships, the team decided to give the car one more push. Viking Sjovall believed there was always a “sub-50” in the car. Race 4 proved him right. Matus finished with an all time GTS 3 record lap time of 1:49.263. Not only did he turn one “sub-50,” but he did it twice. The very next lap was a 1:49.696.
Understandably overjoyed, Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning was very pleased with the results of the weekend. When cooler temperatures return, Sjovall believes there is a “48” in the car.
Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning is ready for the NASA National Championship at Miller Motorsports Park in September.
Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning extends their winning streak at Texas World Speedway. Once again, set new track record for German Touring Series 3. (College Station, Texas) April 18-19, 2008 Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning continued their outstanding season with 1st place finishes in all three races of the weekend at Texas World Speedway. In addition to setting the German Touring Series 3 (GTS 3) lap record for this course, they set an all-time personal best time of 1:51.775. After seeing rain at the last 2 events, Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning came prepared with rain tires. The team may have suspected they might need something more than just rain tires when they awoke on Saturday morning to find the sky eerily red. Shortly after arriving at the track, rain and hail were coming down so fast that the tunnel entrance began to flood. Rain and tornado watches postponed all sprint races until the next day. Sunday morning was completely opposite of Saturday’s. Warm sun rays, cool temperatures and a slight breeze welcomed Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning to the track. Driver Matus and the team were anxious to get on track after the Saturday storm delay. After having plenty of time to prep the 2002 Porsche 996, Matus brought in an impressive 1:52.627 for the first race. Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning did not have a great qualification the next time on track because of an all-course black flag situation. Driver Matus would start race 2 in second position. Fellow GTS 3 driver, Steve Medina started race 2 in the pole position for GTS3 and with a target on his car. Matus caught and overcame the deficit and finished the second race with a 4.528 second lead over Medina. It was the first of two track records the team would set that day. The 1:52.092 finish put Team TxSpeed back into the pole position for the final race of the weekend. As the team prepared for race 3, they were ready to see just what the Porsche and Matus could really do when pushed to their limits. With an amazing finish of 1:51.775, Matus and the Porsche gave everything they could in the last race of the day and weekend. ECM tuning by AWE Tuning allowed Matus to consistently shift at 7200 RPMs, thus maximizing horsepower and torque. There was only a minor problem diagnosed from the Team pushing the limits: the ABS system started to malfunction. Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning learned just how far they could push both the driver and car. Overall, Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning was very pleased with their performance. They continue to fine tune the Porsche and their driver every race weekend. They look forward to the next race weekend at Hallet Motor Racing Circuit in June and continue to keep their “eyes on the prize”: 1st place finish at Miller Motorsports Park for the NASA National Championships. Cold rainy weather at Motorsport Ranch Cresson does not stop Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning from bringing home Three 1stnd place wins in German Touring Series 3. Sets Cresson’s New Lap Record for GTS3. Cresson, TX (March 18, 2009) Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning had a very successful weekend at Motorsport Ranch Cresson. The team continued to learn the 2002 Porsche Carrera 996’s handling capabilities in wet weather track conditions. This was the first time the Porsche was run on Motorsport Ranch Cresson’s track. The 1.7 mile road course at Cresson is 40 feet wide, has 11 turns, off camber turns, and elevation changes. This is quite a technical course in dry weather. Wet and cold weather created very challenging course conditions. The team was not expecting wet weather for the weekend. They had looked at weather forecasts earlier in the week and expected the rain to dissipate by Saturday. Contrary to those expectations, Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning awoke early Saturday morning to find rain coming down. The first race of the day posed some challenges: 1) no full rains tires were available; and 2) the intermediate rain tires would not get up to temperature. This created traction problems for the car and as driver Matus was entering Rattlesnake, he shifted down from 3rd gear to 2nd. This is an area where cars will normally have a slight spin as they come out of the turn. Matus slid off the track, into black mud and recovered quickly to return back to the track. “I have driven on ice and snow many times before. In the rain, Cresson is so much slicker than any of those conditions,” said Matus after he completed the race. Matus still held on to 2nd place despite the slick track with a time 1:39:934. It would be his only 2nd place of the weekend. The track dried considerably by the second race of the day. Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning was determined to finish first. Viking of Viking Extreme Motorsports adjusted the race car’s set up to be as optimal as possible. “The Moton shocks we received from AWE Tuning allowed us to adjust to the weather conditions affecting the track. We went from 2nd place in the first race to taking 1st place in the remaining races,” said Viking. Team TxSpeed finished the second race of the weekend with a considerably better fast lap of 1:20:669. Sunday was a much better day for racing. The track was dry and the temperature was much warmer than the day before. Matus qualified that morning with a record time of 1:20:600. This was a preview of the how Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning would finish the rest of the day. By the last race of the day, the team was back in top racing form. Matus turned an impressive 1:20:462. He beat his own track record for GTS3 at Cresson. Matus previously held the GTS3 record, set in March of 2007, with his 2000 Porsche Carrera 996. That was before the 2000 Porsche met its untimely demise later that year. Overall, Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning came out with leading points for the weekend, a new track record for GTS3, a second place and three first places. The team is confident it will continue to learn the capabilities of the car and improve at each event. Now, on to Texas World Speedway in April. TxSpeed/AWE Tuning Porsche Leads the GTS 3 Field at NASA (National Auto Sport Association) Texas Season Opener. Sets Lap Record. Finishes 1st in 4–out-of-4.
Angleton, TX (Feb 3, 2009, prepared by Olivia Leah Mesa)
The TxSpeed/AWE Tuning Porsche team was a strong contender at the NASA Texas Season Opener, despite wet weather conditions and continual over all refinement. The team was the top German Touring Series 3 (GTS3) finisher at the series opener of the Grand Prix of Texoma Series.
Most of Friday was spent at the dyno fine tuning the naturally aspirated 2002 Porsche Carrera 996 for competition over the weekend. During the off-season, slight modifications were made resulting in the necessity for new dyno certifications. Rear wheel horsepower was measured at 288 hp, while torque came in at 245 lbs ft. This data provided the team with the information needed to ensure the car was within the GTS3 rules. The car builder, Viking Sjovall of Viking Motorsports, had just half a day to complete the necessary calculations to get the car to specifications. In the meantime, the GTS 3 directors inspected the car and paperwork, deeming the car NASA GTS3 compliant. Nut and bolting the car continued late into the night.
There was no time for Matus to practice on Friday because of the time spent calibrating the car. It would have to wait until Saturday.
The team arrived early Saturday morning focused and ready for competition. The first task was to make the practice session. It was only 15 minutes long. When Matus went to qualification, he finished with a 1:41:198, which put him on the pole for GTS3.
The first race of the day came in the early afternoon. Team Texas Speed/AWE Tuning came out fast and hard. In the second lap, Matus clocked an impressive lap time of 1:40:530, a track record for any car in GTS3. He crossed the finish line as first in class.
Matus achieved another first place podium finish in the second Saturday race. Team TxSpeed/AWE Tuning was satisfied with the results and began to prepare for Sunday’s two races.
The team woke up Sunday to a cool crisp morning. Matus qualified again as the GTS3 pole sitter. The first race of the day came after lunch giving the team time to prepare for the afternoon races. Lunchtime came, along with menacing clouds. Rain poured down; drenching the track. The team had some important decisions to make: continue on Hoosier DOT Radial drys, and risk sliding around the track, or put on the rain tires? It was heavily debated in the garage even up to 15 minutes before they were to grid. Finally, the team decided to stay with the Radial drys.
As Matus drove to grid, the rain slowed to a drizzle. The team held their breath as the race began, hoping they had made the correct tire decision. Almost immediately after the pace car exited the track, Matus took the lead and left the others in his spray. He finished the race with a fast lap time of 1:54:693, leading the entire field as first overall and first in class. In the fourth and last race of the weekend, Matus finished with a fast lap of 1:41:211 and ended the weekend with his fourth first place finish.
After each race, GTS directors had the TxSpeed/AWE Tuning Porsche and other top finishers impounded. Each time, the team was in compliance with the NASA regulations.
Needless to say, Team Texas Speed/AWE Tuning finished the weekend with not only the GTS3 lap record, but four 1st place finishes. It was an impressive feat for the car, which had finished only its third regional race weekend.
THE SEASON FINALE of the NASA LONESTAR CUP SERIES
Eagles Canyon Raceway; October 2008 The TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Team dominated GTS3 during the final round of the 2008 NASA Lonestar Cup Championship Series. The event was hosted at Eagle’s Canyon Raceway (ECR). Matus took home four 1st place awards and finished in the top ten overall in each race.
This was the first event that NASA Texas has hosted at the new track. Due to work obligations, Matus was not able to attend the Friday practice sessions to get acclimated to the 2.5-mile course that features 11-turns, many being “blind” corners. ECR is a course that challenges its participants with constant elevation changes, 70-feet in many areas. It is also wide, allowing many places to pass, including into and out of the corners.
As learned at the NASA Nationals, the braking system on the TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Porsche is proving to be the area in which the team needs to focus for mechanical improvements. Matus and Viking worked on the system over the weekend so that it was manageable, but Matus had to adjust in other areas knowing that the braking system is a weakness. ECR is not easy on brakes. Therefore, as at the Nationals, it was important for the team to strategize on using the strengths of the car and Matus’ abilities to make the weekend a success.
For the first race on Saturday, Matus qualified 15th overall in a group of 19 cars and 4th in class. There were 5 GTS3 competitors that competed in all four races for the weekend. To overcome his qualifying position, Matus knew he had to concentrate on getting an excellent start. He did just that. By the first turn, Matus had gained three positions overall. By the end of the twenty-minute sprint race, Matus had moved into 10th overall and took the checkered flag as 1st place in GTS3.
For the second race on Saturday, qualification position was based on the finishing position of the race. Matus started out on the grid in 10th overall and pole for GTS3. The braking challenges did not cease, but that did not deter the TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Porsche Team. In the second race, Matus continued to move through the field for a 7th in overall and 1st in GTS3. The teams starting strategy proved a key factor for the whole weekend, not to mention that it made it fun for the fans to watch Matus overtake several cars on each start coming into the first turn. Exciting for Matus and great viewing for the fans.
On Sunday’s qualifying, a new racer, Steve Medina - fellow GTS3 driver, out qualified Matus by only 300ths of a second. Matus stated race-3 of the weekend 2nd in class and 9th overall. The TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Porsche Team remained focused on their competition strategy for the weekend excelling Matus into finishing 7th overall and 1st in class for race-3.
For the fourth race, Matus maintained his winning strategy and finished the final race of the season 6th overall and 1st in GTS3. He also established the fastest time for GTS3 of 1:58.442. Great ending for the 2008 season.
* Four 1st places in GTS3 at ECR
* Four top-ten overall finishes in Group 7 at ECR
* Set the fastest lap time of the weekend for GTS3
The TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Porsche Team has great support from its sponsors, family and friends. To all of you, we are grateful.
THIRD ANNUAL NASA NATIONALS
SEPTEMBER 2008
The TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Porsche Team took the Third Annual NASA Nationals by storm (literally). The team demonstrated a steadfast commitment to being champions in the face of many challenges. In consideration of what the team had to overcome, they are proud of finishing 4th in class (GTS3) after a hard fought battle for 3rd in a class of 14 GTS3 cars. Furthermore, they accomplished a top 10 finish overall in a field of 47 GTS competitors. The challenges the team faced were: - Weather on several fronts.
- Car contact initiated by another racer that cost positioning.
- Break system challenges ranging from cracked rotors to ABS gremlins.
- Competing in a new racecar. Matus had only one previous race weekend in the Porsche.
- And, this was only the third time that Matus had been to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Compared to the competition whose home track is Mid-Ohio. The championship colors of the TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Porsche Team shone brightly throughout the championship event.
This team’s home is in the Houston Gulf Coast area. When the team headed out to the NASA Nationals, Hurricane Ike was bearing down on the Texas Gulf Coast, but the path was not projected to cross the Galveston/Houston area. During practice on Thursday, the team learned that Hurricane Ike shifted from the projected path and was expected to slam into their home area. They remained focused on the championship at hand, while multitasking from afar on family evacuations and home preparations. Their paddock space looked like the NASA (the aeronautical space people) control center, with multiple computers watching the weather at home and at Mid-Ohio; plus viewing data acquisition from the racecar. In addition to tracking Hurricane Ike, the braking system was revealing problems, the rear rotors were cracked and the ABS engaged in a troublesome way while Matus was on course. Fortunately, the team was able to make a road trip to Cleveland, Ohio to purchase a spare set of rotors. The ABS system started to reveal problems which could not be resolved at the track, so the team ingeniously determined work-arounds.
During Friday’s qualifying race, Matus had moved his way up to third in class. The track was drenched with rain and Matus’s goal was to maintain his positioning while staying clear from other driver’s, giving plenty of racing room to avoid any mishaps that could lead to contact in the slick conditions. In addition, Mid-Ohio had just placed a slick sealer in several corners that made the racing even more treacherous in the rain. Unfortunately, not all racers had the same philosophy as Matus. A racer in another class came inside of Matus on one of the corners. Although Matus gave plenty of racing room, the driver lost control of his car and consequently hit the TxSpeed / AWE race car in the passenger rear wheel and quarter panel, and causing the tire to lose air during the race. This forced Matus to slow down and lose his third place position. The team understood that though unfortunate, these types of incidents occur in racing and are just something that the team had to accept and overcome.
On Saturday, Hurricane Ike was slamming into the homes of the TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Team. To make light of the situation, the team members made jokes about having evacuated with everything that they wanted: the racecar, trailer and the team – what else could they possibly want. Plus, they made comments that their evacuation plan was by far better than sitting at a hotel watching the news. The team figured that there was nothing they could do about the Hurricane, but they could do something about the Saturday qualifying race and remained focused. Due to the previous day’s incident, the rear alignment was knocked out. The team worked to perform an at-track realignment, knowing that it would not be precise and that Matus would have to race with it as is. Matus still accomplished a respectful 5th in the Saturday qualifying race.
Sunday was the big day. While news from home indicated there was damage, their homes where still standing and had avoided flooding. Ironically, Hurricane Ike was traveling the same path that the racers had taken from Texas to Ohio. Ike was due to hit Ohio Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, this prediction proved true. Ten minutes before the start of the GTS Championship race, Ike rolled into Mid-Ohio, bringing with it 55-mile-an-hour winds. Although the skies loomed darkly in the distance, the rain held back for the duration of the race. But the winds were terrible. During the race, a large trash can from a corner station took flight and headed for Matus on the racecourse. Matus avoided contact with the flying obstacle. He was tempted to report it as part of a tornado debris field over the team radio. The whole situation was humorously unbelievable. Even with all the challenges, Matus finished a very respectful fourth, crossing the finish line less than 6-tenths of a second behind Wong, the third place GTS3 racer. Seconds after the race ended, the control tower lost all power. Luckily, the GTS championship results had been recorded just in time.
The TxSpeed / AWE Tuning team thanks all of those who helped in the accomplishments gained at the Third Annual NASA National Championships.
Special Thanks to: SPONSORS
- AWE Tuning – www.awe-tuning.com (Parts, parts and more parts supplier)
- Viking from Viking Extreme Motorsports (Project Manager, Track Side Support, Coach and True Friend)
- Lex from Moton Suspension Technology - USA
- Hoosier Racing Tires (Tim and Bruce) – great NASA contingency sponsor and excellent customer support and guidance
- Steve from European Auto Werks (The hard labor that helped to make the car a reality)
- Jeff, owner of Driver Source www.driversource.com
- Dan from Pace American (Official Trailer Supplier)
TEAM MEMBERS - SUPPORT
- Dad, J.C. Matus, who has been there every step of the way since we started this crazy racing venture
- Viking is both a team member and sponsor- Tom Walter - Transporter Captain- Chris “E85” Cornwell - IT Guru and Human GPS for Transporter
- Jessica Reyna - Office Management, Shannon’s Moral Support, Fan and Friend
- Ryan Arnold - Track Side Support and Friend
- Clifton Winkleman: True Friend and Manager in our racing events business. Always available to talk about the latest things we want to do in racing.
- Amy Winkleman: Wife of Clifton, outstanding moral support for us all.
- Leah Mesa: “Squat-Low”, Fan and Friend
- Gina Callegari: Fan, Friend and Used Parts Distribution Manager TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Porsche: Successful Debut
AUGUST 4, 2008 The debut of the TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Porsche was a resounding success on August 2-3, 2008. Driver, Jay Matus, competed at the NASA Texas Lonestar Cup, Round 5 on the 2.9 clockwise course of Texas World Speedway.
The team ended the weekend with an impressive record:
· Qualified Pole Position in GTS3 for all four (4) races · Set a Lap Record for Qualifying time in GTS3: 1:52.568 · Earned First (1st) Place in all Four Races
When the weekend started, the race group had eighteen (18) competitors, with ten (10) being in German Touring Series and five (5) competing in GTS3. It was a sunny, hot, humid weekend with temperatures ranging from 102 to 109 degrees - the type of weather that will test the failure point of the parts on race cars and the stamina of the drivers. Matus prevailed through the challenge of extreme temperatures and a recently completed race car build to end the weekend as "last man standing" in GTS3 as none of the other GTS drivers made it to the final race of the weekend.
NEXT - The team has its sights on the NASA National Championships occurring September 11-14, 2008 at Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course where there will be a field of nearly fifty (50) GTS cars with approximately fifteen (15) of those competing in GTS3. We are looking forward to spirited competition and a battle to the podium.
We have posted pictures for you to view and set-up a profile at
http://videos.streetfire.net/profile/TxSPEED.htm http://picasaweb.google.com/jcmatus2/AugustTWS Pictures courtesy of Olivia Leah Mesa
Thanks to everyone that has rolled up his or her sleeves and assisted us to get to this point.
* AWE Tuning
* Viking Extreme Motorsports
* European Autowerk
* Moton North America * J.C. Matus * and others that wish to remain anonymous
It has been an adventure from flying to Florida a few days before Christmas 2007 to buy the car to drive it back to Houston . We had enjoyed "her" as a daily driver for about one-and-one-half-weeks before we turned her over to Viking to be transformed over the past six (6) months. We are pleased with the results. We are also appreciative of being able to recover from the crash at the Houston Grand Prix in 2007 and being back into a Porsche to compete in GTS3.
As a side note, the white (crashed) Porsche, had life breathed back into her by Fred Baker Porsche of Ohio. Ironically, they took her out for her first drive the week prior to the racing debut of the TxSpeed / AWE Tuning Porsche. Maybe we can convince Fred to bring her over for a photo shoot at the NASA National Championships.
God's Speed,
Shannon E. Matus J&S Matus Motorsports, Inc
JAY MATUS FINISHES 2ND AT MID-OHIO
NASA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
SEPT. 2006: Team TxSpeed.com surprised the local Ohio competitors and the rest of the GTS3 racers, as Matus were an unknown amongst the GTS series competitors, which are predominately from the Ohio area and Eastern parts of the United States. Matus' competition was 15 other GTS3 racers and their race Group H included more than a 50-car field. Matus had never been to Mid-Ohio until the official practice day on Thursday, September 14, 2006. On that date, Matus flew into Columbus, Ohio where he was picked up by his wife and Team manager Shannon Matus. She was equipped with a map of the course with notes added on it by team member and Mid-Ohio Veteran, Kevin Mixon. Jay carefully studied the map and got to the track 20 minutes before his practice time. Matus quickly grasped the lines of the track and by Friday was running in the top 3 of his class. He battled hard in each one of the qualifying sessions and qualifying races to improve his times and earn a final position of 2nd in class and 7th overall for the Championship Race. During the battle for the championship, Matus obtained his fastest lap time of 1:38.220, which was also the quickest lap of the GTS3 competitors for that race.
This podium finish will be forever a part of Motorsports History since Matus earned his place on the podium at the First Ever NASA National Championships.
TxSpeed.com's accomplishments come as a result of team work and the unsurpassed support provided by Viking of Viking Motorsports, Houston, Texas. Viking has spent countless hours preparing the Porsche, coordinating logistics, track side support and being our most faithful fan. THANK YOU VIKING!!!! The results are posted on My Laps: click here
For more details on the NASA National Championships: click here VEHICLE DESCRIPTION:
MAKE: Porsche / MODEL: 996 / YEAR: 2000 / COLOR: White
ENGINE TYPE: 3.4 liter Performance Modifications: Interior / Exterior Customizations; Near future plans for performance and/or styling upgrades: The TxSpeed Race Team lead by licensed Competition racer, Jay Matus, adds a new member to its family with a 2000 Porsche 996 after selling the 1999 Corvette. Immediate performance, safety equipment and appearance modifications include the following: Other modifications include DOT approved steel braided break lines, racing break pads, Complete Custom wheels, Moton double adjustable shocks/struts and radio communication system. Additionally, Guards custom differential and Fiske wheels for rain competition. TxSpeed also utilizes Goodyear DOT tires to maintain a competitive edge.
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